Book 4 | Agent 34 and the Last Gem

Chapter 13 | Sir Isoma

Vrängr, or as he wanted to call himself, Agent 33, woke up filled with energy. He hopped out of his bed and rushed out of his room for a reason he didn't really know. The elf heard voices on the top deck and slowly creeped up the stairs, evesdropping on their conversation. He was careful to stay in the stairwell and not reveal himself.

"Thank you, Marque," Thad said. "You need to make one for Ismara next. Ismara, whaddya want?"

"Just give me a bandanna or something, I don't care," Ismara replied.

Marque grunted, then 'Agent 33' heard footsteps coming his way. The elf jumped and dashed down the stairs and back to his room, nearly tripping over his own legs on the way. Multiple times.

The elf shut the door quietly and jumped back into his bed. Marque's footsteps followed him until Vrängr heard a door open. There were more shallow footsteps until the door shut this time, a click sounding behind it. Marque had locked the door.

Vrängr opened his door a crack and peered outside, making sure no one was there before he ran back outside. The elf made sure to walk slowly and quietly as to not alert Marque, who was now in his room. He climbed back up the stairwell but stayed out of view of the Destigems on the top deck of the boat.

"What I meant to say before Marque came," Thad continued. "We are sending a search party out tomorrow to look for survivors near the coast. Agent 34, you are now permitted to go, and if Marque makes Ismara's bandanna in time then she may go as well. It'll leave at sunrise,"

"But what does that have to do with looking for the last gem?" Agent 34 asked quickly.

"If all goes well for this search, then you may gather some Destigems and take the boat to the Ar'guals place and search. If not, then we can wait,"

"I don't see why you aren't hopping at the chance of finding that last gem," Ismara said. "Anything helps, even if it is only one gem,"

"I know, I know," The dwarf said. "I—I'm just losing hope. I think it'd just be better if we hunkered down here and wait until Braunick's rule is gone. Give it fifty or eighty years,"

"We can't just sit by and watch, you know we won't let that happen," Agent 34 exclaimed. "Braunick has corrupted too many people already—Wímad, Scar, Vrängr, Fáolar, Harper, for Pete's sake, the most of the Zena is lost! Open your eyes, Thad! This is a war that everyone of Renya is involved in, there is no backing out. It isn't over until either I, or Braunick is dead,"

Vrängr shrunk back farther down the stairwell as footsteps sounded again, but didn't come towards him. "Agent 34," Thad started. "When Braunick kills you, that means we lost the war. If you die, then the war is truly over for us. If he kills you, that means he has gone over the edge. Up until this point, he hasn't been able to hurt you too much. He couldn't do that to his twin,"

"You leave tomorrow for the rescue mission. Be ready," Thad said before his heavy footsteps got lighter and lighter until they were heard no more by the elf hiding in the stairwell.

"I'm going on that tomorrow," Vrängr told himself. "Agent 33 will be a hero once again!" He declared before running back to his room and packing for the trip.

~ ~ ~

Braunick grunted as he picked himself up off his golden throne. He shifted his feet forwards as he stretched, walking quickly to the giant doors that locked him inside this room.

The evil king pushed them open and walked down the hall and eventually down the stairs. A giant room greeted him, completely empty. He came down there to change that.

Braunick jumped into the air, situating himself halfway between the floor and the ceiling of his airborne castle. The king extended his palm down to the floor, muttering a few dark spells.

The castle shook and his palm illuminated black before a pile of bones appeared out of thin air. They came together and formed a skeleton, whose eyes gleamed blue. 

"Welcome," Braunick greeted him.

The skeleton's blue eyes glanced around the throne room, taking in his surroundings. "Who are you?" He eventually asked.

"I," The king explained as he flew closer towards his newest creation. "am Lord Braunick, ruler of this continent and the world. Now, ready to get to work?"

"Who am I?" The skeleton asked again.

Braunick groaned and frowned as he quickly thought of a name. "Sir Isoma," He told the living bones. "You are a skeleton bounty hunter, and I have a bounty for you,"

"Why can't I remember my name and that I'm a skeleton bounty hunter?" Isoma asked quickly. 

"Uh," Braunick was hesitant in telling him he had just created him then and there. "Someone stole your memories. And I know who did it," An evil smile stretched across his face. "and the person who stole your memories just so happens to be the person I have placed a bounty on. My brother,"

"Where was he last seen," Isoma asked blankly.

"I can transport you there now," Braunick grinned evilly. "His name is Agent 34," 

Braunick lowerd himself down to the skeleton and guided him to the doors of the floating castle.  Once they were outside and standing in the perfectly green grass, Braunick picked the skeleton up the skeleton and tapped him on the head lightly. The bones lifted into the air and were given a white outline around its body.

"Oh, and," Braunick has almost forgot. He wanted this skeleton to stand out from the rest of his skeleton and verom armies. He quickly conjured up a green hat and a quiver of arrows. He placed them on the skeleton and told him to head south. "He is currently on the Island of Death at the south of the continent. Kill anything in your way, but bring the elf to me,"

Sir Isoma nodded and used the power of flight that his creator had given him to begin flying towards his first target: Agent 34.